Iranian Muslims Key to Pro-Israel Rally

More than 2,000 Southern California Iranians from various religious backgrounds gathered in Westwood last weekend to demonstrate against calls for Israelâs destruction by Iranâs new president. Participants held high the flags of Iran, Israel and the United States as they marched along Wilshire Boulevard near the Federal Building.

Speakers as well as marchers denounced comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, during a televised state-run anti-Zionism rally in Tehran on Oct. 26, referred to Israel as that âdisgraceful blotâ that should be âwiped off the map.â

Leaders around the world condemned Ahmadinejadâs statement, but the Iranian expatriate community in Los Angeles decided to send its own unambiguous message.

âThe beauty of whatâs happening is that it has been initiated by the Iranian community â the non-Jewish Iranian community,â said Ali-Reza Morovati, general manager of KRSI âRadio Sedaye Iran,â a Persian-language satellite and Internet radio station based in Beverly Hills that broadcasts around the world.

Representatives of eight Southern California-based Persian language media outlets â two newspapers, four television programs and two radio stations, all owned by Iranian Muslims â have condemned the Iranian president. Each of the outlets published or broadcast a joint letter decrying the statements against Israel. The letter was especially significant because it marked the first time that the local Iranian Muslim media displayed public support for Israel. These media organizations had never, in the past, openly criticized similar anti-Israel rhetoric coming from Iranian government officials.

Nearly 20 Iranian Muslim journalists and political activists signed the letter that characterized the criticisms of Israel as the âmad hallucinations of Ahmadinejad,â whose view âdoes not reflect the true sentiments of the people of Iran. Ahmadinejad does not speak for Iranians!â

âWe wanted to show the world that we are against such comments made by Mr. Ahmadinejad and that his comments are not representative of the Iranian people,â said Assadollah Morovati, the owner of KRSI. The 80-year-old Morovati started the station 18 years ago with the specific goal of bringing down Iranâs Islamic regime. He said listeners inside Iran and elsewhere around the world have frequently called to voice their strong dissent for Ahmadinejadâs anti-Israel comments.

âThe Iranian people and Jews have shared a history of 2,500 years from the time of Cyrus the Great, who gave them freedom,â said Morovati, whoâd served in Iranâs parliament prior to the countryâs 1979 Islamic revolution. âIranians are not the type to want the destruction of another people. We respect the Jewish people and only wish success for the State of Israel.â

Before the revolution, Iran was one of Israelâs closest allies in the Middle East; the regime of the late Shah of Iran enjoyed strong political and trade relations with Israel.

Some local Iranian Muslim media personalities said they signed the letter to take a stance against Iranâs totalitarian government â and not because of any specific affinity for Israel.

âWe are not necessarily defending Israel â their government is more than capable of doing that on its own â but we wanted to point out the absurdity of comments made by those in Iranâs current government,â said Homayoon Hooshiarnejad, owner of Asre Emrooz, a daily Persian-language newspaper based in the San Fernando Valley.

The reaction to Ahmadinejadâs comments from Southern Californiaâs Iranian Jewish community leaders has been cautious â their comments in the past have been used by Iranian government officials as an excuse to seek reprisals against the nearly 15,000 Jews still living in Iran.

âAt a time when Iran is under suspicion for pursuit of nuclear weapons, it is extremely difficult to find any wisdom in Mr. Ahmadinejadâs threats against another country which is perceived to be a nuclear power,â said Sam Kermanian, secretary general of the Iranian American Jewish Federation.

Related story

Email Newsletter Sign Up

Don’t miss any of the latest news and events!
Get the Jewish Journal in your inbox.

JewishJournal.com is produced by TRIBE Media Corp., a non-profit media company whose mission is to inform, connect and enlighten community
through independent journalism. TRIBE Media produces the 150,000-reader print weekly Jewish Journal in Los Angeles – the largest Jewish print
weekly in the West – and the monthly glossy Tribe magazine (TribeJournal.com). Please support us by clicking here.